Agenda 1. China’s Wealth and Poverty

Class Discussion 2. Human Rights in China: Ai

Weiwei, the Hong Kong Umbrella Uprising, and the Tank Man Documentary

Homework 1.  Group One Current

Events Due Friday, 11/13

Tuesday, November 10th 7B Social Studies

Inquiry: How has China’s economy changed over the past 20 years? What is China’s record on human rights?

Goal: Students will be able to identify and evaluate political, economic, and social factors behind the June 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 )

Who governs China?

Chinese Government •  For many centuries China

was an empire, ruled by a succession of emperors.

•  From 1911 it became a republic ruled by a party called the Kuomintang.

•  Since 1949 it has been a socialist country, governed by the Communist Party.

The Communist Revolution •  The Chinese Revolution was led

by Mao Zedong. •  Under his control, the

Communist Party took control of China on October 1,1949.

•  He and his associates established the state and party systems which exist today.

•  Mao Zedong borrowed from the Leninist party-state of the Soviet Union and the imperial system of ancient China.

Who Governs China?

•  Since the Revolution, China has been a one-party state

•  The Communist Party of China

(CPC) controls all layers of government – national and local

•  The National Congress of the CPC

meets every 5 years to appoint all senior officials and set major policy.

Central Government The primary organizations of power in the Communist

Party (CCP) include:

–  The Politburo Standing Committee (7-9 people); –  The Politburo (including Standing Committee)

(22-26 people); –  Central Committee (204 people) –  The Secretariat (the main administrative mechanism

of the CCP), headed by the General Secretary; –  The Military Commission; –  The Discipline Inspection Commission, which

seeks to root out corruption

Politburo Standing Committee

The President •  President Xi Jinping is the

7th to hold office since the Revolution.

•  Born in 1953, he has been president since March, 2013.

•  He is also General Secretary of the CPC (Communist Party of China).

Past Presidents

The National People’s Congress – The Legislature

Provincial & City Governments

Local Government in China

There are 33 Provincial-level Governments:

–  22 Provinces –  5 “Autonomous Regions" –  4 Cities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin) –  2 Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and

Macao)

The Party - State

The Party controls China by: •  Giving broad policy direction - the ‘Party

line’ •  All officials are party members •  Making appointments & promotions •  Maintaining media controls

The Chinese Party-State (The Communist party controls the state.)

The Chinese Economy

The Old China •  Workers in the cities: in state-

owned factories or public offices •  Workers in the country: on state-

owned collective farms •  Clothing choice: blue or grey Mao

suits - the Cultural Revolution •  Heavily subsidized housing, public

services (health care) •  Severe poverty

China’s New Economy •  Early 1980s: Introduction of market

reforms (Deng Xiaoping)

•  Capitalism (Free Market): From central planning and government owned industries and farms to market-led capitalism with private ownership

•  Engagement in Global Economy - 2001: China became a member of the World Trade Organization

The New China

•  Around 60% still live in the countryside, but many are moving to cities - Shanghai’s population is more than 23 million.

•  75-100 million people now belong to the middle class. •  America has 6.9 million millionaires, while China has a

mere 3.6 million, but China added 2 million millionaires in 2014 alone, a nearly 50% increase from 2013.

CHANGES  IN  ECONOMY    

Provincial Income Per Capita

Rural-Urban Differences in Income

From Matthew Shane and Fred Gale, “China: A Study of Economic Growth,” http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/WRS0408/

China’s New Economy • High GDP growth (7.7% in 2013) • Speedy recovery from global

financial crisis; China’s growth helps the world economy

• Steady economic pace –but is it too fast to be sustainable?

Chinese Business and Industry

•  The world’s third largest car market

•  The world’s second-largest importer of oil (after the USA; Japan is number 3)

•  China consumes around 25% of the world’s aluminum, 30% of the coal, 30% of iron and steel, and lays 40% of the world’s cement = booming construction industry

Chinese Economy – International Expansion

•  Chinese companies are expanding – several on Fortune 500 list – and they are buying up foreign companies

•  Focused on capturing markets and obtaining natural resources •  Forming alliances with countries such as Venezuela, Iran

and Sudan

•  Taking advantage of weak economies to get hold of valuable assets?

•  Owns approximately $1.3 trillion of U.S. debt (total debt

is 6.1 trillion)

Growing Domestic Problems !  Inequality in Income - rural agricultural workers vs. urban

workers in manufacturing - the gap between China’s rich and poor is now higher than that in the United States.

!  Health Care - The Chinese government recently declared

the pursuit of “Healthy China 2020,” a program to provide universal healthcare access and treatment for all of China by the year 2020, mostly through revised policies in nutrition, agriculture, food, and social marketing.

!  Pollution !  Human rights

Human Rights in China Amnesty International has documented widespread human rights violations in China. DETENTION: An estimated 500,000 people are currently in prison without having been tried for a crime. PUNISHMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS: Harassment, surveillance, house arrest, and imprisonment of human rights defenders is on the rise. CENSORSHIP: Censorship of the Internet and other media has grown. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MINORITIES: Repression of minority groups, including Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians, and of Christians who practice their religion outside state-sanctioned churches continues. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: China remains the leading executioner in the world.

Ai Weiwei

Hong Kong Deomocracy Protests

Hong Kong, ruled under the principle of “one country, two systems,” has been officially part of China since this former British colony returned to China in 1997. It is allowed rights and freedoms unseen in other Chinese cities as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). But Beijing has so far refused to grant a key privilege: free and open elections for their own leader. Frustrated Hong Kong residents have tried everything to demand greater voting rights, from hunger strikes to massive street occupations, with no luck. Last October, there were widespread riots demanding democracy.

In June, 2015, Hong Kong legislators rejected a reform package that would have allowed direct elections for the territory's leader in 2017. The reforms were endorsed by the Chinese government, but many in Hong Kong opposed these “reforms.” The Chinese government promised direct elections for chief executive by 2017. But in August 2014, China’s top legislative committee ruled that voters would only be able to choose from a list of two or three candidates selected by a nominating committee. This committee would be formed "in accordance with" Hong Kong's largely pro-Beijing election committee. Any candidate would have to secure the support of more than 50% of the nominating committee before being able to run in the election. Democracy activists argue that this gives China the ability to screen out any candidates it disapproves of.